Hot weather not to blame for Salmonella on egg farmsNew research conducted by the University of Adelaide shows there is no greater risk of Salmonella contamination in the production of free range eggs in Australia due to hot summer weather, compared with other seasons.

Anemia protects African children against malariaResearchers have found iron deficiency anemia protects children against the blood-stage of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Africa, and treating anemia with iron supplementation removes this protective effect.

Density functional theory took a wrong turn recentlyA new study by scientists from A.N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds, Moscow, Russia, and Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., USA shows that the density functional theory, the bread and butter of modern computational chemistry, has significantly deviated in the recent years from the theoretical foundations it was built upon.

Two HKU architects receive RIBA AwardJoshua Bolchover and John Lin, Associate Professors in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong, earlier received the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award for International Excellence as well as the RIBA International Emerging Architect for their ambitious plan for Andong Hospital in Hunan's Baojing County in mainland China.

Ignition interlock laws reduce alcohol-involved fatal crashesState laws requiring ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders appear to reduce the number of fatal drunk driving crashes, a new study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Colorado School of Public Health researchers suggests.

Leaders and managers should be taught how to 'love' their staffChartered Psychologist (Occupational) Dr. Fiona Beddoes-Jones, in a study of over 300 managers/leaders, found the majority of respondents were dissatisfied with the level of warmth and care displayed at work and believed that their wellbeing would be improved if there was more 'love.'

Pollutants in the Arctic environment are threatening polar bear healthA new analysis has found that although the risk of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic environment is low for seals, it is two orders of magnitude higher than the safety threshold for adult polar bears and even more (three orders of magnitude above the threshold) for bear cubs fed with contaminated milk.

US educators awarded for exemplary teaching in mathematicsJanet Heine Barnett, Caren Diefenderfer, and Tevian Dray were named the 2017 Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award winners by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) for their teaching effectiveness and influence beyond their institutions.

Changing Antarctic waters could trigger steep rise in sea levelsCurrent changes in the ocean around Antarctica are disturbingly close to conditions 14,000 years ago that led to the rapid melting of the Antarctic ice sheets and a three meter rise in global sea levels, according to new research published in Scientific Reports.

Genomic data sharing is critical to improving genetic health careACMG tackles the question of how to make sense of the massive amount of genetic information being generated for better patient care in a new statement, 'Laboratory and Clinical Genomics Data Sharing is Crucial to Improving Genetic Health Care.' Genomic Data Sharing is critical to improving healthcare says ACMG's new position statement.

When being extra sweet doesn't pay offA new study reveals how competitiveness among bats, as well as relative perceptions of sweetness when tasting nectar, shape the evolution of nectar-producing plants.

Pandemic preparedness in the next administrationAs the United States prepares for new leadership, global health thought leaders will convene January 10 to discuss ways the Trump administration can contribute to pandemic preparedness, global health security, and domestic readiness and resilience.

Foods rich in resistant starch may benefit healthA new comprehensive review examines the potential health benefits of resistant starch, a form of starch that is not digested in the small intestine and is therefore considered a type of dietary fiber.

Older lung cancer patients face significant treatment burdenDepending on the type of treatment older lung cancer patients receive, they can spend an average of one in three days interacting with the healthcare system in the first 60 days after surgery or radiation therapy, according to a study by Yale researchers.

Halting lethal childhood leukemiaScientists have discovered the genetic driver of a lethal childhood leukemia that affects newborns and infants and identified a targeted molecular therapy that halts the proliferation of leukemic cells.

Protein associated with Parkinson's travels from brain to gutResearchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases have found that 'alpha-synuclein,' a protein involved in a series of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, is capable of traveling from brain to stomach and that it does so following a specific pathway.

South American fossil tomatillos show nightshades evolved earlier than thoughtDelicate fossil remains of tomatillos found in Patagonia, Argentina, show that this branch of the economically important family that also includes potatoes, peppers, tobacco, petunias and tomatoes existed 52 million years ago, long before the dates previously ascribed to these species, according to an international team of scientists.

Mothers' lack of legal knowledge linked to juvenile re-offendingYouth who commit crimes for the first time are more likely to re-offend if their mothers don't participate in their legal process, but mothers are widely unfamiliar with the juvenile justice system, finds a new study by an Michigan State University criminologist.

Best Science Podcasts 2019

SetbacksFailure can feel lonely and final. But can we learn from failure, even reframe it, to feel more like a temporary setback? This hour, TED speakers on changing a crushing defeat into a stepping stone. Guests include entrepreneur Leticia Gasca, psychology professor Alison Ledgerwood, astronomer Phil Plait, former professional athlete Charly Haversat, and UPS training manager Jon Bowers.

#524 The Human NetworkWhat does a network of humans look like and how does it work? How does information spread? How do decisions and opinions spread? What gets distorted as it moves through the network and why? This week we dig into the ins and outs of human networks with Matthew Jackson, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and author of the book "The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs, and Behaviours".